"What has happened to you Severus?" Dumbledore whispered. "How can you turn your back on Lily? After all we did for her!"
"For the woman who rejected me two decades ago for an arrogant shit who dragged her to her death?" Snape replied coldly.
"You loved her!" Dumbledore said loudly.
"And yet she could never seem to return the feeling!" Snape spat viciously. "She betrayed me in the cruelest way!"
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Is this what the Dark Lord has convinced you of? Severus, have you fallen so far?"
Snape's mouth twisted into a sneer. "You assume I was ever yours to begin with. Have you never considered my return to the Dark Lord may not have been your plan?"
No one answered; Dumbledore seemed unable to speak, Harry was glaring with a kind of terrible hatred from Draco to Snape, Luna's wide eyes were on Greyback, and Michael was trying to think of a way to kill Snape and, preferably, survive himself.
"You never suspected – never expected – that I could be more." Snape's hand shook with anger as his wand changed suddenly from Michael to Harry. He looked deranged…mad…evil. "You thought so little of me, just like she did – like you all did!"
The jet of green light streaked towards Harry, who had no time to react. Michael and Luna both drew their wands and Harry shut his eyes.
"NO!"
Four spells flew through the air at once, two rushing past each other on each side.
Michael's curse struck Greyback, throwing him out of the room and tumbling down the stone steps outside. Luna and Draco had locked wands, their respective curses meeting in midair.
Beside Michael, Harry was thrown against the wall by the Curse, and in the instant, Michael knew he was dead. But then Snape was forced to parry another curse bellowed by…Harry?
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry let out a yell of pain and fury as he and Snape exchanged another set of spells. He saw the heap of deep blue robes crumpled on the ground. It wasn't possible….
"YOU!" Michael and Harry's combined spells overpowered Snape and he staggered backwards, his wand arm shooting up. Luna and Malfoy continued to duel somehow; in his anger and disgust Michael wondered how Malfoy had improved so much. Harry aimed another curse at Snape, intent on avenging his Headmaster.
For the first time in his life Harry shouted "Avada Kedavra!" as he pointed his wand at the man in front of him. Michael instead swept around and fired a curse at Draco, catching him in the side and taking him to the ground, where he lay, unconscious and bleeding slightly through his shirt. Michael had hit hard.
Harry's curse was inches from the defenseless Snape when, in a swirl of black and a burst of smoke, the fourth Dark Wizard made his appearance. Lord Voldemort's cloak billowed around him as he waved his wand and dissipated Harry's Killing Curse as if it was no more than a simple Stunner.
His eyes glinted their malevolent red as he whipped his wand across the three teenagers. Luna's spell was quick, but even her shield barely weakened the power of that terrible curse. It sent Harry flying; he landed on the hard, stone floor next to Dumbledore. Michael and Luna's wands were ripped from their hands.
Michael immediately flung out an arm, causing a small, nearly transparent bubble to appear around Luna. At the exact same time, Luna did the same. They slowly expanded outward, until the formed a large enough barrier to protect them and Harry. Their wandless shield wouldn't do much more than stop Voldemort from walking over and strangling them to death, though Michael would welcome that attempt.
Snape righted himself and stood next to his master, casually straightening his robes, as if he had not just killed the greatest Wizard of the age. Michael expected Voldemort to be beside himself with disturbed pleasure, but his snakelike face showed only anger. He continued to stare at Michael and Luna, though he addressed the Dark Wizard next to him.
"You were to capture Potter, Severus," he said in his cold voice, "not kill Dumbledore. That was to be my pleasure."
"My apologies, my Lord," Snape bowed his head. "I attempted to end Potter, but the old fool seemed to think his life was worth less that Potter's…."
"I did not tell you to kill Harry Potter either," Voldemort replied, turning his eyes to Snape. Michael saw him shiver slightly. "Unfortunate," Voldemort hissed. "Very unfortunate…."
"I am sorry, my Lord," Snape said again, now with a little confusion, "but I fail to see the problem. Dumbledore is dead, and soon Potter will be dead. What does it matter who does the killing?"
"The problem, Severus," Voldemort whispered, "is now who must be killed."
"But my Lord!" Snape objected. He spun to face Voldemort, but was met only with a flash of green light. His black eyes still showing surprise, Severus Snape dropped to the ground beside Draco, dead.
"You will be missed," Voldemort laughed mercilessly. Michael and Luna watched in horror and shock from behind their shield. Voldemort pointed his wand lazily at Draco now, speaking plain English.
"Up."
Draco groaned and opened his eyes, though he did not stand immediately. As his eyelids fluttered open, the grey spheres beneath them found the blank death stare of his old Head of House. He flinched away from the corpse slightly, but did not cry in surprise.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and blinked. He stood up and allowed his gaze to wonder from Voldemort to Michael and Luna.
"Why?" Draco asked simply.
Voldemort chuckled horribly. Now that Michael got a better look at Draco, he realized how much he had changed. His body looked more toned under the black silk shirt he wore, and his facial features somehow looked less like his distinguished Malfoy roots, more rugged and chiseled, like the Black in him. His hair was longer than it had been; his trademark sneer was no longer mocking, it was twisted with dark triumph. There were a few cuts and bruises on his face Michael was fairly certain he hadn't caused…had Voldemort been teaching Malfoy himself?
He thought of how he had matched Luna's spells, something that even the best Death Eaters had had trouble doing. Malfoy had never concerned him much, a sneering snitch at worst, and as such Michael had never really put any thought into neutralizing him. With these new developments, Draco's protected status was officially gone.
"Because I needed him to die," Voldemort replied. His red eyes met Malfoy's for a long time, and then he came close to smiling as Draco nodded once. Voldemort turned back to Michael and Luna and pointed his wand at them. Both tensed, knowing their wandlessly cast barriers wouldn't hold against much.
But the spell Voldemort cast was not a deadly one, at least, not at that very moment. In fact, it was a spell all Wizards knew, that Harry had been using since his fourth year.
"Accio Wand."
Michael's first thought was that Voldemort's intention was to take Harry's wand, as his own could not match it. The wand that flew into Voldemort's grip did indeed come from the two bodies clumped on the floor, but was not made of Holly. Instead it was a wand Michael did not recognize, longer than Harry's or his own.
"No," Luna breathed. And in that breath, there was more fear coming from Luna than Michael had ever heard. If this scared Luna that much, something was definitely not good.
"Ah, Luna," Voldemort said thoughtfully. His eyes were on the wand in his hand. He stowed his old one inside his robes and rolled Dumbledore's into his other hand. It emitted sparks as it did. "I assume you know what this is?"
"The Elder Wand," Luna whispered. The situation was bad. If what Dumbledore and Luna had said was true, this wand of Voldemort's was unbeatable. They couldn't flee, even if they managed to get a hold of Harry and do a wandless flame Apparition, they would still be leaving the school, including Ginny, at the mercy of Voldemort, Malfoy, and Greyback, who had just came stalking back up the stairs. Michael guessed Luna was also considering their backup plan, but even if they could pull it off, he feared the two of them alone wouldn't be a match for the trinity of Dark Wizards.
"Exactly. How astute, dear Luna" Voldemort said softly. "With this wand, this weapon, I have made myself truly un-killable."
Michael opened his mouth to taunt Voldemort about his attempted immortality, but Luna gave him a very sharp look and the tiniest of head shakes. Michael closed his mouth and kept silent; luckily Voldemort was too busy examining his prize to notice.
Draco was looking at Voldemort sideways, apparently unsure of what exactly his master was saying. Yet he still seemed very pleased with himself and the situation in general and in his desperation, Michael's pride couldn't help but agree with Malfoy – he had after all just cornered himself and Luna, something Michael had thought impossible, at least for someone like Malfoy. But Michael had already affirmed Malfoy was changed…and he didn't care for the fucking look he cast upon his wife.
"You're going to pay for killing my parents, Lovegood," Draco snarled, aiming his wand at her.
"Jacobs," Luna corrected him softly. Draco's scowl only intensified.
"I'm going to make you beg for death…and when you do, I'll let Greyback tend to you."
The Werewolf chuckled again, picking at something in between his yellow teeth. His eyes looked Luna up and down, coming to rest on her chest. That look ignited a fury in Michael that broke almost immediately, leaving him with nothing but a chill of helplessness. He could kill Greyback, he could fight Malfoy, he might even be able to occupy Voldemort if given a wand, yet this situation was…hopeless. His mind began working in ways it almost never did. Michael found himself contemplating an endgame, one that didn't involve taking Voldemort's life, but merely insured Luna escaped with hers.
"Don't." Michael's voice was a whisper. He hadn't meant to come across this way, but he could do nothing for it.
"What did you say, Jacobs?' Voldemort asked, pretending as if he had not heard. He looked amused.
"Please," Michael's voice was broken and weak, "don't hurt Luna…." There was really no way out this time. He, Luna, Harry, and everyone else in the school were trapped, with no escape. Whatever it took to save his wife, his Loon, he was ready. If it cost him his own life…so be it. "I may be trapped, but we both know I'll still take at least one of you with me if I am going to die here. Luna's probably good for another too. But…I won't fight you if you let her go."
"You would let me kill you so easily in return for simply letting Luna walk away?" Voldemort asked. Michael couldn't tell if he was actually entertaining the idea or merely mocking him.
Michael nodded wordlessly, his hands clenched, his heart beating fast.
"No Michael," Luna said very quietly, but firmly. She turned her head the slightest bit to the side to look him in the eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll always be by your side. In this life…and in the one that follows it."
Michael could have easily been killed at that very moment, as Luna's solemn declaration had left him completely stunned. He felt a strange desire to sob, but not from fear or sadness. Luna's willingness to embrace death beside him resolved his desire to make sure she didn't have to.
Michael saw the faintest image of a plan beginning to form in the far distance of his mind. He glanced down at Luna's hand very quickly. For the first time since Voldemort's appearance, he felt he had won a small victory – Luna was still wearing her Glove. She also seemed to take issue with Draco's declaration and while Voldemort sneered at her love for Michael, she turned her stare on his Death Eater.
"I didn't kill your parents Draco," Luna said coolly. She seemed much less concerned for her personal safety than Michael was. In fact, she seemed to have adopted his attitude of defiance. Michael silently cursed himself. "Yes, your father was a heartless man, who tried very hard to rape me, but I didn't kill him. Your mother was kind to me. She helped me survive a terrible experience. If I had to guess, I'd suppose that's why he," she nodded at Voldemort, "killed her too, like he did Lucius. Your mother lost her life because of her humanity. It frightened him to see her like that, so he killed her. That's what he does, Draco. You don't have to be that way. You can be better than him. You can be like your mother."
"And who are you going to believe, Draco?" Voldemort asked. He turned fully towards Draco and actually took a step closer to him. "Your benevolent Lord and Master, or a blood traitor bitch?"
Michael made his move. Very slowly and deliberately Michael raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck as he so often did when embarrassed or irritated. Michael saw Luna raise a single eyebrow in acknowledgement of their secret sign. He began to concentrate hard on his plan.
He very slowly let his hand drift to his pocket, fingers working desperately while Luna began to work to keep Voldemort and Draco distracted.
"So what are you planning to do now?" Luna asked, a careful measure of believable scathing in her tone. "Now that you've…you've got the Elder Wand." She found she couldn't name the act he had committed to do so.
Voldemort's mouth twisted into an amused smile. "You mean now that I've killed Albus Dumbledore? It's a shame, Luna," he said thoughtfully, "with Dumbledore dead, the Order would surely look to you two for leadership…unfortunate they'll be denied the chance."
He pointed the Elder Wand first at Michael, then Luna, and then settled back on Michael. Putting all his faith in Luna, Michael jerked a wand from inside his pocket and spun to put his back to Voldemort at the same moment. The Dark Lord immediately threw a curse at him, only to be countered by Luna, who had taken the second's reprieve to extract her own spare. Her yellow spell clashed with Voldemort's blue one, exploding in a blinding flash. His eyes forced shut, Michael yelled "Accio wand!" and felt his primary wand land in his outstretched left hand. Another moment passed, and Michael the light was gone, Michael was turned back around, a wand in each hand, desperately unleashing two twin spells upon Malfoy, who chose to throw himself to the ground rather than try to meet them.
Michael was very, very glad Luna had convinced him to accept one of her mother's reserve wands as a backup in case they were ever disarmed. The one currently held in his right hand was rather short and according to Luna, made of olive wood. It didn't pack the same punch as his normal wand, but was incredibly easy to conceal and use.
Then, surprising Michael so much he almost forgot his place in the battle, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Professor McGonagall charged into the room, preceded by the spells cast from their wands. Malfoy jumped back to his feet and he and Greyback turned to meet them, but Voldemort remained focused on his own opponents.
Neville whipped his wand through the air, sending a white edge of magic at Greyback, who met the curse, but very barely. Malfoy immediately targeted Ginny, who fought him with a careful smirk. McGonagall, instead, ran right by the sets of duelers, past Snape's corpse, over to Dumbledore's desk.
Michael did his best to occupy Voldemort, though even by doubling his spell power, against the Elder Wand, his ability to do any damage was severely limited. Meanwhile, Luna had felt it necessary to abandon her husband to come to the aid of Ginny, who had found Draco far more powerful than she had expected. Luna cast a silver spell at Draco's side to relive pressure on Ginny and then with a spinning motion for momentum, Luna turned back fired a dark blue bolt a Voldemort. At the same time, Michael shot a red one from each of his own wands.
The three spells traveled tightly together, Michael's making a kind of helix shape around Luna's. McGonagall reached the desk at the same moment the three spells reached the Dark Lord. For a fleeting second, Michael was sure Voldemort was finished, at least in his current body.
However Voldemort simply swept his wand horizontally, knocking Michael and Luna backwards. Nearby, Greyback dropped to the floor with a grunt, and Neville rushed to join Ginny, who was barely able to hold off Malfoy's increasingly brutal attacks.
Luna stumbled backwards and tripped over Harry's unconscious form and fell on top of him. Michael slammed into the Headmaster's desk and for a moment saw stars. It was over; he and Luna were disabled, Harry was stunned, Neville and Ginny were fighting….
Then they were gone.
Draco, Voldemort, Greyback, and the body of Severus Snape all vanished at the exact same time, leaving no trace of them behind. Michael blinked and looked around. Neville and Ginny were panting heavily, also staring around the room. Luna jumped up, looking horrified at where she had landed. McGonagall was leaning against the desk, her hand draped over one of Dumbledore's silver instruments.
Her eyes were on Harry and Dumbledore, the unmoving pile on the stone floor. Her eyes were wide, and behind her glasses, Michael knew there were tears. "No," she whispered. "No!" She rushed over to the pair, her hands groping for a pulse on each.
"He's…" Michael said, his eyes on Dumbledore, "he's dead." He sighed very deeply.
Ginny and Neville walked over to stand beside Michael and Luna; both also had wounds from their fights, though neither was badly injured. Still, Ginny looked absolutely devastated at the loss of their headmaster. Even Luna, who was no weepy girl, was openly shedding tears down her pale cheeks.
"What about Harry?" Michael asked quietly. It was odd, somehow Luna's uncharacteristic lack of composure steadied Michael. No tears even burned his eyes, his hands didn't shake like Neville's, his nose wasn't running like Ginny's.
"He's alive," Professor McGonagall said. She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief she conjured, then pointed her wand at Harry and said shakily, "Rennervate." Harry groaned and McGonagall extended a hand a slowly helped Harry to his feet. His glasses were broken and it seemed he couldn't see well.
"Professor?" Harry asked groggily. She nodded carefully. Harry's hand jumped to his pocket, to his wand. Finding it wasn't there, he stared around the room. "Where are they?" he asked sharply. "Voldemort and the others? What happened?" He shook his head to clear it. "What about Professor Dumbledore?" When no one answered him he repeated, more angrily and louder, "What about Dumbledore?"
Michael stepped forward and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. He shook his head sadly and gestured to where Dumbledore lay.
"Harry… he's gone. Snape shot the curse, and he…I'm sorry man. I don't know what to say."
Harry broke away from Michael and angrily waved off Ginny and Neville, who had advanced on him. He blindly stumbled to Dumbledore's body and dropped to his knees.
"No," he said quietly. Like McGonagall, he searched Dumbledore's neck, then wrists for a pulse. "No! NO!" He turned to the others, who were watching him sadly. "Give me your wand," he said clearly. When no one offered theirs, "What are you waiting for? One of you give me your wand!"
"Harry," Luna said very softly. She stepped forward, next to Harry and crouched down next to him, pulling his head into her shoulder, "he's gone on to his next great adventure. He did it to protect you. Harry…he really loved you."